SANTA CLARA – Now that the 49ers emphatically held serve on their home field, they’ll look to parlay Sunday’s 27-14 win over Tampa Bay into more success entering this season’s most daunting stretch.
They are in prime shape for a third straight playoff run, judging from quarterback Brock Purdy’s perfect passer rating Sunday, running back Christian McCaffrey’s rediscovered scoring knack, and the defense’s prowess that must forge ahead without safety Talanoa Hufanga.
For the second straight season, the 49ers (7-3) have just a four-day turnaround after playing the Bucs before visiting the Seattle Seahawks, this time for a Thanksgiving night affair with first place in the NFC West on the line. After that comes an NFC Championship Game rematch Dec. 3 at the conference-leading Philadelphia Eagles, before a Dec. 10 return to Levi’s Stadium to face the Seahawks and possibly decide the division.
“November is when the (stuff) really starts. We know that,” defensive end Nick Bosa said. “You think you’re ready when the season starts 5-0, but you have to go through stuff to become the team you want to be. The veterans in here, we have a lot of them, we know that later in the year is when we have to turn it on.”
The 49ers clinched the NFC West with last December’s 21-13 win in Seattle, and they did the same in the 2019 regular-season finale there. This time, there won’t be a division coronation, but the 49ers did take over sole possession of first place Sunday, by virtue of their win and Seattle’s fourth-quarter collapse in a 17-16 loss at the Los Angeles Rams.
“All that means is Seattle is going to be a little angry and it’s going to be a great game up there,” Kittle said. “It’s one of my favorite atmospheres and places to play. What a great fan base to absolutely hate us. It’s really fun and is going to be a physical game and we have to go up and get a win.”
The Bucs (4-6) offered a nice tune-up, especially for Purdy, who won his starting debut against them and Tom Brady last season by a score of 35-7. That game, by the way, was part of an 11-game home win streak, which ultimately was snapped by the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 29.
Purdy, who committed three turnovers in that last act against the Bengals at Levi’s Stadium, finished Sunday with a perfect 158.3 passer rating, the first 49ers quarterback to post such a rating since 1989, when both Joe Montana and Steve Young accomplished it.
Purdy called it an “honor” and a “testament to the team,” while conceding “I don’t really know what it means” and that he’s “not content” with it. Essentially, it factors in a passer’s statistics, which in Purdy’s case Sunday were: 21-of-25, 333 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
“The doubters have been silenced,” McCaffrey said. “He’ll continue to do that. He’s one of the best football players in the league, one of the best quarterbacks.”
Purdy is the first 49ers quarterback to hit that 158.3 rating (the highest-attainable mark) on at least 20 passes, and, at age 23, he is. one of only three players to reach that plateau under the age of 24, joinin Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens) and Cal product Jared Goff (who was then on the Rams).
Purdy reached his perfect-rating line Sunday when his third touchdown strike found George Kittle on a 3-yard throw in the third quarter, for a 27-7 lead.
During that final touchdown drive, however, a negative sight unfolded that could have long-term ramifications for the 49ers’ defense: Safety Talanoa Hufanga was carted off with a suspected anterior cruciate ligament tear, which he sustained while failing to make an open-field tackle on Rachaad White.
Rookie Ji’Ayir Brown replaced Hufanga, and Brown responded by not just breaking up two potential touchdown catches in the fourth quarter, but also a diving interception in the endzone with 3:38 left. Afterward, Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield made a plea to officials before being approached by Bosa.
“He was (complaining) to the ref and I told him there’s no horsecollar in the pocket. He thought he got roughed,” Bosa said.
Bosa did praise Mayfield for being feisty and nice, adding that “I don’t hold grudges,” about their Ohio State-Oklahoma college rivalry which helped fuel Bosa’s breakout game as a 2019 rookie against Mayfield and the Browns.
Purdy piled up enough points to keep the 49ers’ lead safe. Those touchdowns:
— McCaffrey’s NFL-best 14th touchdown of the season put the 49ers ahead 7-0. Purdy’s 4-yard touchdown pass to him completed an 80-yard drive, which opened with a 15-yard completion to Deebo Samuel and stayed alive with a third-down completion to McCaffrey from midfield.
— Touchdown No. 2 came on Purdy’s career-long 76-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk (a career-long catch for him, too). Aiyuk beat cornerback Jamel Dean down the left sideline, caught Purdy’s pass at the Bucs’ 40-yard line, then raced untouched for his second touchdown in as many games. The 49ers had been pinned at their 2-yard line before Purdy found George Kittle for a 21-yard catch to provide room to go deep.
— Kittle caught Purdy’s third touchdown pass, a 3-yard throw with 1:42 left in the third quarter. Kittle had a 21-yard catch over the middle on Purdy’s first throw of the game to foreshadow the passing excellence that was to come.
With three minutes remaining, Purdy scrambled out of bounds for a 13-yard gain on second-and-11, then dropped a 12-yard completion to Kittle, who repeatedly made for an uncovered target on bootleg plays.
“Brock’s been great and consistent through it all,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “I never felt anything different with Brock through those three losses.”
All seven of Purdy’s turnovers this season came during the three-game losing streak that ended with last Sunday’s win in Jacksonville.
Mayfield kept things interesting after it looked like the Bucs might fold fast following his second-quarter fumble. On that play, Bosa chased down Mayfield and split a sack with birthday boy Fred Warner, who forced a fumble that Clelin Ferrell recovered at the 49ers’ 35-yard line. That led to the first of two Jake Moody field goals and a 13-7 halftime lead.
Mayfield finished 29-of-45 for 246 yards with one touchdown (to Mike Evans in the second quarter, which cut the 49ers’ lead to 10-7).
McCaffrey, the NFL’s rushing leader, finished with 78 rushing yards on 21 carries and five catches on five targets for 25 yards.
Aiyuk’s monster output featured a career-high 156 yards on five receptions, his fourth 100-yard game this season. Shanahan reflected on how far he’s come since starting the 2021 season on the bench in Detroit.
“A lot was made out of it because everyone wanted to talk doghouse in training camp, which was confused with coaching,” Shanahan said. “He was never in anyone’s doghouse. We were just coaching.”
Kittle had 89 yards on eight catches and Deebo Samuel accounted for Purdy’s other three completions for 63 yards.
“We’re at that point of the season where obviously every game is crucial,” Purdy said. “We’re going into a hostile environment in Seattle, with the great team they have, it’s going to be a great challenge and we’re excited about it. To play on Thanksgiving against them, with the division where it’s at, it doesn’t get any better.”
A year ago, Purdy sustained a broken rib in beating the Bucs before making his first road start and beating Seattle on a short week.
“Man, what a challenge that was, remembering how I studied and went about my routine,” Purdy said. “It was good I experienced that.”
Now he’ll experience it again, with healthy ribs.
